I Never Claimed to Love You
by theangelgabrielle
Summary: All Human, AU. Tanya/Edward/Bella/Jacob. Tanya's family is spending Christmas with the Cullens. And she's lusting after the middle child, Edward. Mix in the new boy in town and a volleyball star and what do you get? Insanity! FOR SOPHIE.
1. Means to a Beginning

**author's note;** I had planned to go into this seriously. Hard core angst. Until...I realized how absurdly wonderful Edward and Tanya are together and how I must fit Jacob into this and...I got this _thing. _Don't take it too seriously. **_This story is dedicated to a lovely little girl called _**sophie. Will be three or four chapters long.

**OOC alert. **

**Disclaimed.**

Enjoy. R&R.

**-i never claimed-**

_to love you;_

Strawberry blond curls blowing about her angelic face, Tanya's slim arms wrapped around Edward Cullen's lanky torso. She had grown up a lot since the last time he'd seen her. Back when she was a virginal twelve-year-old who knew the lyrics to every Top 40 song and had a closet composed entirely of Juicy Couture.

"Look at you," Edward exclaimed, ruffling her already mussed-up hair. Tanya just grinned, not even pulling away. She had changed so much. Long gone was the prissy preteen. She'd been replaced with a gorgeous teenager who was undeniably _sexy_ in that I-couldn't-care-less way.

"Yeah." For his benefit, fourteen-year-old Tanya did a little ballerina spin on the doorstep.

"Don't be so rude, son." Edward's father, Carlisle, a revered doctor who lived under the standards and beliefs of the Old World, placed a hand on his teenage son's shoulder. "Invite them in."

Struggling to pull away from her death grip, Edward stepped aside to let Tanya's parents, Sasha and Boris, pass through. They both shot him mysterious smiles.

"Tanya's here!" Edward's younger sister, Alice, bolted down the winding staircase with surprising grace.

Tanya smiled widely, showing off white teeth. She hugged Alice also. It was dully noted by all how much less enthusiasm the blonde offered for the younger Cullen girl than she had for Edward himself.

"It's been too long," Carlisle was saying. His wife, Esme, had joined his side. She was still wearing oven mitts and no one bothered to point this out to her. Esme was too kind a soul for anyone to embarrass her.

"Yes, it has." Sasha and Boris' complacent smiles were still in place. They still had hints of exotic Russian accents. The Bure family, composed of Sasha, Boris and their daughter, moved from St. Petersburg, Russia to Denali, Alaska about ten years ago.

Alice was chattering on about nothing in particular. Her predictions for reality show winners, Edward figured. Alice was great at that kind of thing. She kept some kind of a blog, called Bet On Alice, where she listed all her picks for the winners of _American Idol_, _America's Next Top Model_, _Survivor_, and the like. She always hit the nail on the head with her "lucky guesses." It was her niche.

Tanya nodded her head encouragingly. Alice was only thirteen; she was still in the eighth grade and Tanya was already halfway through tenth. Of course, she was only fourteen herself. The Alaskan girl was supposedly some kind of genius so she took accelerated high school courses.

"C'mon Alice." Edward raised his eyebrows at his little sister. "Go make some friends or something."

Pouting, the dark-haired pixie-like girl snatched Tanya's pale hand, as if to illustrate her _many _friendships. She shivered. "Gosh, Tee, your skin is freezing!"

That grin again. "I know. Sorry. Heating was broke in Dad's car. And you know my parents. Total hippies. They'd never get a new one."

Their collective laughter was too loud, but there was something about the deadpan way Tanya spoke that was a punch line all to itself.

Strangely enough, Edward was enraptured by the seductive way Tanya bit her pink lip and looked up at him through her coal-black lashes, like he was the best thing since sliced bread.

For a moment, the world stopped moving.

Edward's pocket started to vibrate.

_Saved by the bell..._

He bent down to pull his simple, nothing-fancy Nokia cell phone from the pocket of his khakis. Edward couldn't help but notice how Tanya's eyes trailed down the curve of his back. He wasn't sure what to make of her. Even more so, he wasn't sure whether or not he liked the predatory gaze in her gold-flecked brown eyes.

_BELLA_, read the Caller ID. A candid photo of a blushing brunette beauty popped on-screen. Bella Swan had been his best friend since she'd moved to Forks last year. She was shy and sporty and wonderful.

Quickly, he answered with a breathless, "Hey."

"Hi," she chirped. His heart soared at the sound of her voice. If only Tanya's family had come to spend the holidays_ before_ he had realized he was in love with his best friend. "What's up?"

"Nothing much." Even though Bella couldn't see him, he shrugged on instinct. "Some of my parents' friends are visiting."

"Cool." It was then that he noticed how loud and flat Bella's normally overzealous tone was. "I'm just calling from volleyball practice. Mind if I come over when it's finished?"

_Ah_. That explained the squeaking sounds he'd been hearing.

For a girl so clumsy, Bella Swan was a natural-born athlete. Edward joked that, for the balance she lacked in normal society, she more than made up for it on the court or field. Bella played every sport offered at Forks High - she was the frontrunner for the Best Athlete award during her senior year, everyone said.

"Yeah, sure." Tanya's piercing eyes were still glued to him. Her stare sent a shiver up his spine. Trying to focus on his conversation, he joked, "I could never say no to you, don't you know that?"

She laughed. "Could anyone?" A sharp whistle sounded - Edward could hear it through the tinny plastic phone Bella refused to replace even after she dropped it countless times and coated it in scratches. "That's Coach Clapp - gotta run! See you soon!"

Dial tone.

Upon snapping his silver cell shut, Edward's green eyes locked on Tanya's. She was still staring. The line between creepy and flattering? Yeah, it was getting more defined as the minutes ticked by.

"That was her, huh?" Tanya's voice cracked.

"Who?"

Eyes flashing, the fourteen-year-old elaborated: "The girl you like."

Edward was so very glad his sister, Alice, was absent. She'd flitted off, probably to the computer, possibly to spy on the Whitlock family who lived in a huge, Southern-style mansion that bordered the Cullen property.

Unfortunately for the lot of them, Alice seemed to be impossibly enamoured with one of Edward's best friends, Jasper Whitlock.

Their lives were turning out to be the modernized, American-style version of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_.

"She's just a friend." Lie. Well, not technically a lie. Edward wished it was. He wished he could confess to beautiful, headstrong, stubborn Tanya Bure how Bella Swan's pale pink lips tasted. How it felt to stroke her ever-flushed cheek. How their first date had gone, first dance, first time.

"Ah." Tanya's smile reappeared, out of thin air. "But you want her to be more." Not a question, a statement. Edward shrugged.

The blonde swiped a hank of messy hair away from her heart-shaped face. Her nails were short and ragged; bitten. She smiled when he raised his eyebrow at her; she pulled the sleeves of her grey-striped sweater down until her hands were completely covered.

"I'm going to go get myself settled." She started to sling her army-issue duffel bags over her shoulders, but reconsidered. She handed them off to Edward, beckoning him over her should with a crook of her finger. He followed. "Two unadulterated weeks of Alice Cullen. Whoop-de-doo."

Alice's room was big enough. It was open and airy like the entire house and was more than any preteen girl could ask for. The walls were painted, alternately, shell pink and sky blue. It was quaint and pretty. Like a bed and breakfast.

No sooner had Edward stepped foot in his sister's room did she close the ivory eyelet curtains dramatically. "Oh, Eddie. Why won't you set me up with Jasper? We'd be _so _perfect together!" she exclaimed.

Edward's bottle green eyes rolled in his head. "Uh, no offence sis, but he's four years older than you."

She blinked back at him, her brown eyes wide and child-like. "So what? Love has no age, brother dear." Alice's gaze flickered to Tanya, who was watching the rebuttals being hurled back at forth. She looked like she was enjoying a heated match at Wimbledon, rather than a verbal battle between brother and sister.

"She's right." Tanya held his gaze for a beat too long. "Love knows no age or time. It's all in your state of mind."

Alice clapped her small hands together. Her elaborately beaded bangles clattered against one another, making a musical sound. "See, see? I told you Tanya was divine!"

"That's true also," she laughed. "I _am_ divine."

It was impossible to be awkward around Tanya. She could be bitchy at times, but she always had a way of lighting up a room with her smile and a witty remark.

"Bella's coming, yeah?" Alice guessed, her uncanny ability of predication at work again. She ran her fingers through her short and spiked dark hair.

"Yeah." _Ding-dong._"In fact, that's probably her now. You really gotta stop doing that future-seeing stuff, Ali. It's freaky."

Edward shuffled out of the room. He offered a bemused-looking Tanya a pathetic half-wave. She returned it, with ten times the delight. Edward backed away slowly and darted down the infinitely long staircase, two steps at a time.

He kicked aside a cleat with the laces coming out so he could open the door properly. Emmett, his older and only brother, had probably left it there. He was terribly messy. A walking, smack-talking, footballing disaster.

Door opened.

Bella smiled brightly at the sight of him. Her smile showed off her cute dimples, on either side of her face. _God, did he ever lo-_ Edward stopped himself before he could finish the thought; it wouldn't be good for anyone if he finally admitted what he'd known since the day she stumbled into him the hallway and "accidentally" hurled her Biology textbook at his head.

Of course, when he opened the door wider, he realized Bella's arm was casually draped around _some guy_'s neck and _some guy_ had his long, tanned arm curled around her minuscule waist.

Great. Just great.


	2. Fresh Meat

**thanks for the reviews, story alerts, et cetera girlies. **

**there'll probably one-to-two more chapters after this. **

**-part two-**

_fresh meat; _

Edward's mouth fell open at the sight of them - he couldn't help it. For someone he'd never seen in the petit town of Forks, Washington, it appeared as though Bella and _that guy _were closer than close.

A deep aching - burning really - at the back of his throat told him that for all Tanya's teasing, taunting, and tricks, he still wanted Bella more than life itself.

His male instincts kicked in and Edward's green eyes narrowed as his started sizing up _that guy. _His competition. Unless, of course, - _please, God! _- he turned out to Bella's cousin or long-lost brother or something. Even if that would be _so Dawson's Creek_, it'd be better than having to fight for her affections with someone who looked like he could crush Edward with one flex of his pinkie finger.

The mysterious boy was tall; taller than Edward, maybe even Emmett. He was well over six feet and composed entirely of lean muscle. Even though it was mid-December, he was clad in knee-length shorts and a long-sleeve shirt. His dark hair was cropped close to his head.

"Hey, Edward." Bella tilted her head so she was closer to the boy. He adjusted his position so she was practically _clinging _to him. It was sickening, really. "Meet your new neighbour, Jacob Black."

The tall guy - _Jacob _- stuck out his large hand. Edward pumped it eagerly, not breaking eye contact with the Jacob punk. Edward's grip was strong, but the darker-skinned boy's was equal in strength, if not more.

Jacob smirked. "Nice to meet you," he added, his tone bordering on sarcastic.

Biting his tongue, Edward replied with a smooth, polite, "Same here." He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his plain-front dress pants. He felt so formal compared to shorts-wearing Jacob Black. "So, uh, how exactly do you know Bella?"

The two leaned in closer and - the horror - giggled like Catholic schoolgirls with identical dimple-bearing smirks on their faces. Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. "We've been going to summer camp together since we were little." His smile widened. "I used to live in Arizona and we thought we'd never see each other outside of camp, but my dad decided to move us here."

Conspiratorially, the gigantic guy added, "I wanted it to be a surprise for Bells, here."

She beamed up at him, flicking her side-bangs from her face. "It absolutely was, Jake."

Jake and Bells. Edward paused for a second to let the weight of the words sink in. _Really _sink in. _How perfect, _he thought. _They even have nicknames. They ought to start a stand-up comedy troupe. _

"Can we come in or what?" Bella inquired, her chocolate brown eyes dancing. Her fingers curled around the hand that was cinching her waist. They looked so blissfully, deliriously happy.

"_I think I just barfed a little in my mouth._" Edward shuddered visibly, but, for Bella's benefit, pasted a charming smile on his conventionally handsome face. He stepped aside so Bella and that _Jacob _character who looked to be 6'7 at least could enter his house.

"Pardon me?" Bella's dark eyebrows rose. Her tone was incredulous - in the year she'd known him since her Nomadic parents, Renee and Charlie, moved from a largely Italian community in New Jersey to small town Washington, she'd never known Edward Cullen to be so blatantly rude and disrespectfully. To be honest with herself, she was disgusted by how obviously he appeared to detest Jacob - who he didn't know at all!

"Uh, nothing," he mumbled as a pathetic response.

The eye-daggers he received from Bella felt like tiny stakes going through his heart. He tried not to give the same look to the ever-grinning Jacob who didn't loosen his gip on the volleyball star as they ducked inside the Cullen fort.

Edward hadn't even noticed it had begun to rain - that was what happened when you lived in Forks, Washington for too long. The rain, although not welcome in the slightest, was something dependable. You could count on the rain, even when you couldn't count on your best friend.

"Nice place you got here," Jacob commented. He looked around appreciatively. Esme's favourite thing to do was decorate. She took a minimalist approach to their house: most of the place was white-walled, with splashes of colour in the kids' rooms and the kitchen, which was painted a sunshiney yellow. The Cullens' home was open and airy; very inviting, welcoming.

"Thanks," Edward said bitterly. It would be a lot easier to hate Jacob if he was meaner.

"Hiya, Bella!" Alice Cullen smiled brightly. The girl had appeared out of nowhere and now stood on the final step of the extravagant staircase.

She'd changed out of her absurdly-expensive sweats and into a tea-length dress. It was pale pink and trimmed in lace. Alice loved clothes. On her tiny feet were ballet flats. A gold headband encircled the crown of her head.

"You look lovely, Ali," Bella complimented, graciously taking the younger girl in her arms and wrapping her in a hug.

"Oh, thank you!" There was nothing Alice loved more than flattery - not shopping, not chocolate, not even celebrity gossip.

"You're very welcome." Edward kind of admired the way her voice had not an ounce of sarcasm. Bella and Alice got along famously. Although the Cullen kids didn't fight often - and almost never with Alice, she was too sweet and kind to find a fault in - when they did, their pseudo-battles were epic. They lasted for weeks. Months, even. Edward could carry a grudge like nobody's business.

Alice quickly swept Bella upstairs, trying to keep her tone hush-hush. Of course, it didn't work very well. Years of being the middle child had given Edward enhanced hearing. It came in handy when Emmett was sweet-talking his girl-of-the-month/week/day or when Alice was complaining about something that happened at her school. Edward didn't envy his little sister one bit. Middle school sucked and thirteen was an age he never wished to return to.

"_Oh, guess who's here!_" came Alice's whisper.

Her brother made a show of dramatically rolling his eyes. Time to fawn over Tanya! Yay! _Not. _Everyone's stride seemed to increase in speed. Although Edward himself had not been alerted of the Bure family's impending visit until the morning they were to be coming, supposedly Emmett, Alice, Esme, and Carlisle had known for weeks. With good reason. Denali wasn't exactly just a hop, skip, and jump away from Forks. A whole country - Canada, the second largest in the world - was stuck between the two cities.

The door of Alice's room opened slowly.

Tanya's strawberry blond head appeared first and the rest of her tall, slim, deathly pale body followed close thereafter. She pasted a smile on her model-esque face, but both Edward and Alice could easily tell it was forced. Or, at least more forced than the smile she'd given Edward. For the bronze-haired boy, she offered a wink. He gulped, taking a step backwards.

"Hey." The blonde moved forward a step, enclosing the space between them, and locked her hands together. "I'm Tanya."

"Bella," she said. "Nice to meet you." She even felt like adding a curtsy - the girl was _that _beautiful. When Edward told her on the phone that his "parents' friends" were visiting, she foolishly assumed they'd be aging hippies with receding hairlines and eyes that stayed glued to her barely-existent cleavage.

"Jacob." His grin was so natural. It was not lost on Edward how the tall boy's grip on Bella only tightened at the sight of another girl. Bella's warm brown eyes widened with curiosity or jealousy - Edward wasn't sure which.

"Nice to meet you, too," Tanya deadpanned. She turned on her heels, looking as if she'd return to Alice's room. Then, she craned her neck to look over her shoulder. "Do you guys know of any parties tonight? No offense, Edward, but this place is dead boring."

They all exchanged hesitant gazes - Jacob included.

"I know of a place," Alice started, playing with the short hem of her new dress.


	3. Dance Inside

**one more after this. hope you like this. **review?

**-part three-**

__

dance inside;

Jam-packed inside of Jake's smooth-running Rabbit, Alice blew out a breath. To be honest, the preteen was fairly surprised her big brother hadn't beaten her with a ten-foot pole and locked her in her bedroom for all eternity. For all his good points, Edward could be creepily overprotective. Lord help them all if he ever became a father.

"So." The bronze-haired boy made a show of clenching his fists. "Where did you hear about this _high school _party anyway?" He put extra emphasis on 'high school.' His little sister was, after all, only in middle school.

Alice Cullen rolled her dark eyes in perfect circles, then crossed her lithe arms over her chest. "We _do _go to the same school, you know." It was true - all the Cullen kids went to a K-to-12 school, with Emmett part of this year's graduating class. "And I have friends in high places."

"In other words," Bella surmised, "you've been listening in on your brother's phone conversations?"

Alice nodded vigorously.

_Face meet palm._ "That damn Jessica Stanley!"

Bella's high-arched eyebrows knitted. "Don't talk about Jess that way - she's still my friend, even if you loathe her."

"Yeah, well." Edward harrumphed. "That doesn't mean _I _have to like her. If _someone,_" (eye-daggers at Miss Swan) "hadn't given her my unlisted number, she wouldn't have called to tell me about her stupid party."

Jacob, who was at the wheel, with Alice riding shotgun, listened to the conversation with pleasure. He was enjoying himself - these Forks kids were batshit crazy!

Tanya batted her coal-black lashes. "Ah," she said, folding her long-fingered hands behind her head. "This is the infamous Jessica you always rant about."

Looking embarrassed, he bowed his head. Hanks of hair fell in his face. "I do not_ always_ rant about her," Edward countered.

"_I'm sure you don't_." Tanya's words seemed to say 'Yeah, right.' The blonde was the most visibly relaxed of the motley crew. Her legs were elongated - stretched out, bare feet resting on the back of the driver's seat. She'd changed out of her "airport clothes" and now donned the tightest pair of jeans known to man and a cream-coloured silk halter top.

If Edward wasn't one hundred percent in love with his best friend, Bella, there would've been nothing to stop the drool from overflowing. Jacob, however, didn't seem to notice the blonde beauty in the slightest. He only had eyes for Bella and it was seriously disgusting. As far as Edward Cullen was concerned, that is.

"Oh, ooh!" Alice's manicured finger jumped to the frosted window. She turned to the driver, Jacob. "Hey, we're here. Pull in there."

He nodded and flipped the turn signal on. Jacob swiftly changed lanes, pulling up beside a simple, two-storey suburban house. The Stanleys'. It was larger than the bungalow Bella shared with her single father, police chief Charlie Swan, but smaller than the Cullens' extravagant mansion.

A couple teenagers were lingering about outside the house, but the odd little group rightly suspected the real party was inside. Judging by the lack of red plastic cups and puddles of barf, Edward was moderately alright with letting Alice attend. Besides, she could take care of herself. And, well, if she couldn't Edward had a mean right hook.

"I feel so weird being here," Jake whispered to Bella, wrapping his tanned arm around her shoulders.

"Why?" she questioned, tilting her chin to meet his gaze. It was surreal that he was there, with her then. Her Jake. She couldn't count on both hands how many sleepless nights they'd shared at camp, counting stars and guessing which counsellors were making out with each other. And yet, the two of them, Jake and Bells, had yet to kiss. She knew he wanted it, but she wasn't so sure about her own desires. Would being boyfriend and girlfriend ruin their friendship? She knew Jacob wouldn't try anything unless she said she wanted it.

Of course, there was always the alternative: their connection would be stronger than ever before.

Bella entwined her hand with his own. She beamed up at him, her personal sun.

His answer came out slowly, in a huff of breath. "I don't know anyone here."

"You know me, isn't that enough?" she teased playfully.

Rather than the easy, open grin she expected, his full lips puckered. Eyes darkening, he admitted, in all seriousness, "Of course it is."

Trying to keep the mood light, she smiled toothily. "Then let's go in."

Jess' house was predictably crowded. Their was no alcohol and the only person puffing on a Marlboro was Jess' WASP of a mother. Everyone was sporting semi-formal attire, so only Tanya and Alice were appropriately dressed.

Jake quickly produced an unbuttoned suit jacket, black. He slid his arms in. Meeting the questioning gazes of the group, he shrugged and explained: "For emergencies."

Jessica had a sister who was Alice's age. Sophie Stanley greeted Edward's sister at the door with a girlie hug. She could've been Jess' identical twin - minus, of course, the C-cups that the elder sister was (in)famous for. They both had dark blond hair, natural tans, and petite, slight frames. Even still, the Stanley girl practically _towered_ over Alice.

"C'mon, Ali," Sophie whined, pulling Alice by her thin, charm bracelet-wearing wrist. "All our friends are upstairs."

Alice gave Edward a 'What can you do?' look and dutifully followed her friend up the wooden staircase.

The remaining teenagers, Tanya, Edward, Bella, and Jacob, exchanged identical wary glances before Jessica Stanley materialized in front of them. Her hair was expertly curled and pulled into an elaborate updo. She was sporting a cotton candy pink dress, knee-length, that showed off her enviable gams as well as her (_totallynotreal_) enhanced cleavage.

She had even gone as far as to fit a plastic tiara amongst her curls. "So glad you guys could come to my birthday party!" she enthused, sweeping Bella into a half-hug.

Jess twirled around in her pink tulle dress, giggling, to show Bella her dress. Even if she was as shallow, vain, and superficial as could be, Jess was a nice friend to have. She was loyal to no end and always good for when Bella needed a dress for that year's athlete's dinner.

"Oh." Jess stopped mid-twirl and looked up at Jacob (seductively?) through her long, fake lashes. "You brought a friend?"

Protectively, Bella locked her arm around his broad shoulders. "Yep. Jessica Stanley, meet Jacob Black. Jake, meet Jessica."

"Pleasure to meet you," he mumbled, sarcasm evident, but didn't instigate a handshake.

She bit down on her lip. (Flirtatiously?) "No, really." She took a step forward in her three-inch peep-toe pumps. "The pleasure is all mine."

"Uh, I'm gonna go get some punch or something," Jacob stated. Bella raised her eyebrows at him, but dropped her arm.

"Don't worry." Jess squared her shoulders, obviously trying to bring his eyes down to her chest. "I'll get it for you." When she turned and walked away, butt out and hips swinging, Jacob turned to Bella.

"Who would have thought there were crazier people in Forks, Washington than Bella Swan?"

She swatted his arm.

"Now, can we get out of here before your friend in pink comes back and starts grinding on me?" Jacob inquired, worry colouring his face.

"Sounds like a plan." Bella momentarily directed her attention to Edward and Tanya, hitching a thumb over her shoulder. "Jake and I are going to check out the backyard, either of you want to come?"

They shook their heads 'no' in unison. With matching shy smiles, Bella and Jacob excused themselves from the small group, leaving Tanya and Edward alone. Edward faked a smile and pretended that his face didn't burn with jealousy when Bella threw her head back in laughter - at something that _vermin_ had said.

_"And then there were two_," Edward thought, running his hand through his messy tangles of hair. He awkwardly looped his thin pianist's fingers through the belt loops on his dress pants, rocking back and forth. It was not lost on him how Tanya's piercing eyes followed his every idle movement. Could it be...? Was she...in_ love_ with him?

"Is that a problem?" Tanya inquired, shaking her shiny tresses off her back.

Looking befuddled, Edward prayed to whatever Gods were watching down on him that he hadn't just wondered aloud if Tanya, who was practically his sister or cousin, was in love with him.

"What?" he managed to squawk out.

"That there's only the two of us left," she filled in, swishing around the clear liquid in the cup she held. (_When had that gotten there?_)

"Uh, no." He tried to smile. Really tried. Instead, he felt a bead of sweat growing and expanding at his hairline. "Not at all."

"Good." Tanya placed her hands on her curvy hips, then reconsidered - she pulled Edward's hands to her hips. "'Cause I feel like dancing."


End file.
